


Warm Hands on a Cold Night

by Asceplius



Category: Infinity Train (Cartoon)
Genre: M/M, Trapped In A Cabin AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:53:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23406328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asceplius/pseuds/Asceplius
Summary: While hunting down a fugitive, Mace and Sieve get trapped in a storm and take shelter in a cabin.
Relationships: Mace x Sieve
Comments: 11
Kudos: 34





	Warm Hands on a Cold Night

Two cops were trudging through deep snow. With each step more snow poured into their boots. The wind was pushing against them, freezing them down to their bones.

“M-mace,” one officer reached out to his fellow partner. “We’re never gonna find her in this st- storm.” 

Mace peered out into the wilderness. They had been tracking down a young fugitive for days and followed her up into the mountains. A storm hit and they lost sight of her. The blizzard had covered her tracks. It was getting darker out and they were alone and lost in the freezing storm. 

“We got worst things to fear Sieve.”

Sieve huddled up against Mace. His teeth were chattering and his body was shaking. He felt like his body might break from the cold.

“What are we gonna do Mace?”

Mace gazed around the snow drenched landscape. He knew finding the fugitive was a lost cause, but he was no longer concerned about that. He needed to get Sieve out of the cold. He wasn’t going to let his partner freeze to death.

“We’ll go up by those trees over there.” Mace pointed to a cluster of pine trees up ahead. “They’ll block the wind.”

Sieve nodded with a shiver. “O-okay.”

They shuffled through the snow with Mace pushing on Sieve’s back, nudging him up the slope. As they got closer Sieve bumped Mace’s chest with his fist and pointed beyond the trees.

“A cabin.” 

And indeed a nice sized cabin stood before them. Mace pushed harder on Sieve’s back, leading him up to the cabin. The cold wind bit their skin and pushed them back, but they endured and made their way to shelter.

Sieve grabbed the doorknob with a shaking hand and jiggled it, but the door would not open.

“It’s locked,” Sieve said.

“What?”

“The door is lo-locked. We can’t get in,” Sieve looked to Mace with pleading desperation. “W-what are we gonna do Mace?”

Mace peered through a window by the door. He didn’t see any people nor a back door. Mace took a step away from the window then lifted his arm back and plunged his fist through the glass.

“Mace!” Sieve shouted in alarm.

Mace cleared away shards of glass from the window frame. He then hefted himself up and climbed inside. Mace hurried to the door to unlock it. He flung open the door, grabbed Sieve, pulled him in, then quickly slammed the door to keep out the cold bitter wind.

Once inside Sieve felt more relieved. Although they were both still shivering it was nice to get out of the harsh weather.

“Is your hand okay?” Sieve reached out to touch Mace’s hand, but Mace pulled away, hiding it underneath his other arm.

“It’s fine,” he replied. 

Mace took a look around the cabin. It was quite plain inside. Two small sofas took up the center space facing the fireplace. Off to the side was a small kitchen area and next to it a set of stairs.

Mace went to head up the stairs but held back a moment. He turned to Sieve who was shivering like a sick dog.

“How about you sit down, warm up a bit,” Mace said. “I’m gonna look upstairs for some blankets.” 

Mace continued up but stopped again. “I’ll be right back,” he added, then disappeared up the stairs.

“Okay,” Sieve replied. He sat himself down on the old sofa and took off his wet boots to knock out the melting snow.

As Mace searched the room upstairs, he thought on his relationship with Sieve. The two of them had been working together as partners for years now.

In the beginning of their partnership Sieve was a newbie on the force and Mace strictly worked alone. Their boss decided it was smart to partner them up, and while Sieve was excited to work with an experienced officer, Mace was none too thrilled. 

As time went on though Mace found himself warming up to the officer, even preferring his presence by his side, not that he’d ever admit to that. And while officers would joke how Sieve seduced Mace from his lone wolf status as a cop, the two always stuck together.

So that was why Mace was determined to find blankets for Sieve. The cold had gotten to him and Mace could tell he wasn’t weathering too well. There was no way Mace was going to let their years long partnership end.

After grabbing every single blanket he could find Mace descended the stairs back to the living room. He was surprised then to find Sieve not sitting in the chair, but over by the fireplace. A crackling fire burned inside the chimney, giving the room a warm glow.

“Got a fire going,” Sieve said. His voice was still weak and his body still shivering, but he still gave a smile to Mace.

Mace walked over and threw the blankets around Sieve’s shoulders. He then settled down next to his partner and soaked in the warmth of the flames.

“Mace,” Sieve said.

“Yeah?” Mace answered.

“You can’t just give me all the blankets.”

“It’s fine. I’m not that cold.”

Sieve laughed at that. Mace would have been happy to hear such a sound if not followed by wheezy coughing.

Before Mace could ask if he was alright Sieve leaned over and wrapped one his blankets around Mace. Now both were huddled together under a nice wool blanket.

“You don’t need to pretend around me Mace, you’re cold too,” Sieve said. Mace didn’t say anything in return, instead gently leaning onto Sieve and pulling the blanket tighter around them. 

They chose to stay like that for a while, bundled up together by the fire. Mace slowly took off his gloves and carefully stretched his hands by the fire.

“How’s your hand?” Sieve asked.

“It’s fi-,” Mace stopped. “It hurts. A bit.”

Sieve smiled. “Well that doesn’t surprise me, considering you punched a window.”

Mace returned the smile while staring off into the fire. “Somebody had to do it.”

Sieve gently touched Mace’s hand, startling the man from his daydreaming. Sieve carefully enveloped his partner’s hand, warming it by the fire.

“Does it hurt when I touch it?” Sieve asked.

Mace stared at Sieve’s hand embracing his own.

“No,” Mace answered silently.

Sieve rubbed circles into the top of Mace’s hand with his thumb.

“Does it hurt when I do this?” Sieve asked.

“No. It feels good.” 

Mace turned back to the fire. He wasn’t sure what to do. He knew he cared for Sieve, more than just a partner or a friend. He knew he wanted more from their relationship, but he was scared.

He had fought criminals with knives in back alleys, had been shot at more than he could count, trekked through deserts and broken cities to capture fugitives, but none of it compared to the fear of losing his partner.

Two male officers being involved with each other was considered an offense where they came from. They could get fired from their jobs, and that would only be the least of their problems.

Mace could deal with unrequited feelings for his partner. He’d keep it secret and under control, but Mace knew Sieve wanted him too. Maybe just as much. This was where the danger laid, as it would be so easy to just give in to themselves, right here by the fire.

Mace knew better though, he had to. He was the older one, been in the force longer. He needed to hold back for Sieve’s well-being, for his protection.

Mace withdrew his hand from Sieve and stood up, shaking off his blankets. 

“Should probably board up that window. Keep the cold out,” he muttered. 

Sieve breathed out a sigh of disappointment and rubbed his hands together.

“There’s a closet under the stairs,” Sieve informed. “There’s some nails and a hammer inside.”

“Thanks,” Mace nodded and walked over to the closet to retrieve the items.

Mace took out a knife from his pocket to cut off a large chunk from one the curtains. He then started nailing the piece of curtain onto the wooden frame, trapping the wind outside. 

Sieve watched Mace as he hammered away, holding the nails in his mouth like he did his toothpicks. Sieve noted that he was favoring his non dominant hand over the one he used to hit the glass.

When Sieve first met Mace he was intimidated by him, but with time Sieve saw more and more of Mace’s true character. Soon Sieve began to realize he was being shown parts of Mace that no else saw. Then one day Sieve noticed a look in his eyes. He saw the want Mace was carrying. Sieve realized he was carrying it too.

“There’s a mattress upstairs.”

“Huh,” Sieve woke from his stupor.

“Upstairs I saw a mattress,” Mace reiterated. “I can bring it down here for you to lay on. That way you can sleep by the fire.”

Sieve stood up, his legs shaking slightly. Mace moved towards him but Sieve held up his hand motioning that he was fine.

“Or, I can help carry down the mattress and we can both sleep on it,” Sieve proposed.

“No, you’re clearly not well,” Mace stated. “And I can sleep on one of the sofas, we don’t need to... share.”

“We are sharing, because it’s a bed that I’m certain was made for two people to sleep on. It would be stupid to have one of us sleep on a sofa,” Sieve pointed out. 

He made his way over to Mace and firmly planted his hands on his partner’s shoulders. “And you’re clearly not well either, and it would be faster and more efficient for both of us to work together. Right?”

Mace didn’t answer back, only nodded in response. Sometimes he couldn’t argue with Sieve. The man could be too cunning with his words while Mace would fumble over sentences. He admired Sieve for it but also found it infuriating, especially now.

So the two trekked up the flight of stairs together. Mace with his undamaged hand held the back of Sieve’s arm. Sieve knew he didn’t need assistance getting up the steps but decided it was a compromise between them, besides he still enjoyed the attention from Mace. 

When they reached the bedroom Sieve immediately chose the side of the mattress closest to the door.

“I’ll carry the bottom, you take the top,” Mace ordered. 

“You shouldn’t take the brunt of the weight with that hand Mace,” Sieve reasoned. 

Mace took the end of the mattress from Sieve anyhow, refusing to listen to his logic. Sieve relented knowing he lost this minor battle, after all he was still winning the war, and picked up the front end of the mattress. 

After hefting it up they carefully maneuvered down the stairs. Sieve kept peaking around the mattress to ensure that Mace was doing alright. The last thing he wanted was for Mace to fall down the stairs and hurt another part of himself.

Luckily the mission went smoothly and they successfully brought the bed over by the fireplace. Mace quickly walked back up and snatched all the pillows, while Sieve threw more wood into the fire.

When Mace returned Sieve began to shed off his clothes down to his undergarments. Mace was flabbergasted but found he could not tare his eyes away.

“Wha-what are you doing?” Mace demanded.

“What? I’m not going to bed in wet clothes.” Sieve laid out his clothes next to the mattress. “You should probably do the same.”

Mace look down at his clothes and hesitated to take them off.

“C’mon Mace it’s not that big of a deal. Just take off your clothes and get into bed with me.”

Mace’s face lit up as he stared in shock. He was going to say something in response, he had no idea what, but stopped when he noticed the smirk on Sieve’s face.

“Asshole,” Mace murmured, but Sieve could see the traces of a smile. Mace turned away feeling too modest to undress facing someone, and took off all his wet clothes leaving only his briefs and his signature hat.

Sieve pretended to arrange their bed when really he was focused entirely on his partner undressing. It was like something right out of a dream of his.

When Mace turned around Sieve was laying down in bed covered in blankets and patting the empty space beside him. Mace thought he might just die right there.

Mace crawled underneath the blankets next to his partner and laid down on his back. Sieve turned over on his back and nudged a bit closer to Mace so that their bare shoulders were touching. Mace let out a trembling breath in response and held still.

Sieve made no more advances, instead he pulled the blankets closer over them. He shivered, as the cold still had not left his body. Mace sensed Sieve’s body shaking beside him.

“You cold?” Mace asked.

“Yeah,” Sieve replied.

“If you want,” Mace rubbed his forward trying to think of a way to arrange his words in the least awkward way possible. 

“We could share body heat?”

“...What?”

“Just c’mere.”

Mace grabbed Sieve and pulled him over so that his partner was lying down on top of him. He wrapped his good arm around Sieve’s back to hold him in place.

Sieve remained still as if time had frozen over. Their bare chests were touching and he could feel Mace’s heart beating against his. Sieve started shifting around and Mace was worried he wanted to move away. Then Sieve lifted the blankets up to their necks and snuggled his head in the crook of Mace’s neck.

Sieve reached down and gently held Mace’s damaged hand, rubbing circles with his thumb into the palm. Mace let out a pleased sigh.

“Tomorrow I am going to look in the bathroom for bandages and you are going to let me tend to your hand,” Sieve ordered.

Mace smiled. “Sure Sieve.” He began rubbing Sieve’s back.

“Hmm that feels nice,” Sieve hummed. 

They lied together in silence, soaking in the heat of the fire and the warmth of each other’s embrace. Neither knew what tomorrow would bring. If they would catch the fugitive or return back home empty handed. 

More importantly neither knew if they would continue loving the other in silence, keeping their want to themselves. For this one night though, they both pushed those thoughts to the back of their minds, choosing to focus only on this moment. This beautiful night where they gave warmth and love to their partner.

**Author's Note:**

> For those concerned about the fugitive, who is Lake, she does not get captured and finds shelter with a young lad named Jessie and his pet deer.


End file.
